Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - DOORS - LATCH | |||||
| 230398 | 01/30/1998 | 600479 | Symptoms with door latch and/or locks may not function properly. *yc | 05/18/1998 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | ||||||
| EA02029 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 10/16/2002 | 02/10/2004 | HOOD LATCH FAILURE | ||
| Odi opened ea02-029 to determine whether a safety-related defect trend existed in the my 1997 jeep grand cherokee hood latch assemblies.during ea02-029, there was no specific failure mechanism identified that could differentiate the my 1997 vehicles from other vehicles containing this same hood latch assembly or could account for their higher complaint rate.as a result, odi expanded the scope of this investigation to include all grand cherokee vehicles equipped with the subject hood latch assemblies.in performing ea02-029, it was determined that some of the secondary hood latches in the subject vehicles may exhibit increased operating frictional resistance; however, since none of the primary hood latches showed any evidence of mechanical or operational deficiency and the complaint rate of hood fly-ups measured over an extended exposure time was low, a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time. | ||||||
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - HOOD - LATCH | ||||||
| EA02029 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 10/16/2002 | 02/10/2004 | HOOD LATCH FAILURE | ||
| Odi opened ea02-029 to determine whether a safety-related defect trend existed in the my 1997 jeep grand cherokee hood latch assemblies.during ea02-029, there was no specific failure mechanism identified that could differentiate the my 1997 vehicles from other vehicles containing this same hood latch assembly or could account for their higher complaint rate.as a result, odi expanded the scope of this investigation to include all grand cherokee vehicles equipped with the subject hood latch assemblies.in performing ea02-029, it was determined that some of the secondary hood latches in the subject vehicles may exhibit increased operating frictional resistance; however, since none of the primary hood latches showed any evidence of mechanical or operational deficiency and the complaint rate of hood fly-ups measured over an extended exposure time was low, a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | |||
| 04/01/2002 | 100003 | 1 | |
| 1. came out of gear when in park and crashed sustaining 5000.00 dollars in damage. had received a letter from daimler-chrysler in 2002,however it was not dated stating the car could do this. no recalls were present at the time. they denied any problem when car crashed. called an attorney who was a relative that told without a doubt (100%) the car would do this. he then called me back and stated he could not represent me because he represented daimler-chrysler. he was hired by chrysler after he bought a viper from them that was a lemon and he shoved it you know where and won. they realized what an outstanding attorney he was then hired him. talk about family ethics. they finally installed the secondary detent system in 12/2008. i was told it was repaired. 2 the car is stalling at high speeds,during u turns, while at stop signs. it to dangerous to drive. jeep keeps telling me they can not find anything on diagnostics. i was out of town 250 miles from home and they want me to drive an unsafe vehicle back to the. they have been rude,evasive and blaming me. after 500.00 there diagnostics showed nothing. it has been to 5 other mechanics and know one has been able to diagnose the problem. i now have a 1997 grand cherokee limited that is loaded that is dangerous and worth nothing. 3 if they insist on arbitration and a chance to fix it you will lose. it is worth your money to hire a lemon law attorney from the very beginning. *tr | |||
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - DOORS - LATCH | |||
| 08/03/2005 | 106000 | 1 | 06/17/2005 |
| Failure of drivers side door latch, the fasteners have ripped through the metal of the door causing an unexpected door opening at highway speeds...this is not a new problem for grand cherokee's, there are very few driver's door that have not failed...my options for repair of a poorly designed component are quite few and no one is sharing any information...without metal to secure the latch to the door i have been forced to use a bungie cord (not osha rated...at all) until the door can be welded shut...then i have a three door truck without a way to easily exit the vehicle... thank you for your time and attention in this matter. | |||
| 08/06/1997 | 7 | 08/29/1996 | |
| *ak consumer states transmission does not shift the way it should, there is a delay when going into gear and it makes a noise, rear seal, pan gasket, and cooler lines leaking, humming in engine at 59-62 mph, the wiper blades failed, while using remote there is a grinding noise coming from door area, the right front rotor is worn, the deqler replaced the front brake pads, and headlights need to be adjusted.*yd | |||
| 07/28/1999 | 1 | 12/11/1996 | |
| Rear end went out and vehicle was inoperable. contacted dealer and wheel bearings were replaced. rear end has been replaced twice already.*ak keyless remote failed. fuel gauge failed. buzzing noise when unlocking the doors. transfer case leaking. rear end makes noise, dealer rebuilt differential. left front wheel makes noise. *yh | |||
| 7 | 04/18/1997 | ||
| Gas gauge. signal switch. door lock. | |||
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE - LOCK | |||
| 08/17/1997 | |||
| Opened up the hatchback and all of a sudden the door fell down, almost striking the persons that were under the hatchback. *ak | |||
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - HOOD - LATCH | |||
| 10/01/2006 | 1 | 08/18/2002 | |
| Rear hood latch thinks that the back hatch is open when it is shut. could this be related to the investigation of the hoods opening on their own? *nm | |||
| 07/20/2005 | 2 | ||
| (1)prior to beginning a trip, my husband checked the fluids under the hood and then closed the hood. i drove for approximately 2 hours with no problems. (2)then while driving at approximately 68 mph, going downhill, the hood suddenly flew open and crashed into my windshield. both the primary and secondary latches for the hood had failed. i was unable to see the road, except for a tiny amount of the white line that i was able to see below the hood that was now resting upon the windshield. i was able to slow the vehicle down as well as navigate, using the white line, and get the car safely off the road. i had three small girls in the back of the vehicle, who were all very frightened. with the help of some passing motorists i was able to force the hood back into place, though this was quite difficult since the hinges were now hyper-extended. i shoved the hood into place and confirmed (several times) that it seemed to be secure enough to continue. i was able to continue to my destination, though i was quite frazzled by the time i arrived. (3)the hood needed to be replaced, as well and the hinges on both sides. we straightened the secondary hood latch which would have prevented the problem. it is made of metal that is too soft and bendable for it's intended purpose. per this database, our model of jeep is known to have hood latches that fail. i am very upset that there has not been a recall put into effect yet. this was a very scary experience for me and the children in the car and could have easily ended in a terrible crash. luckily everything worked out and no one was hurt, except for a minor complaint of a car seat hurting a leg (it protected my daughter from getting thrown in or from the car). please consider how dangerous this can be when the vision of the driver is basically completely blocked by the hood covering the windshield. i believe that the primary and secondary hood latches should be recalled immediately. *nm | |||
| 09/21/2004 | 118000 | 1 | 05/04/2001 |
| Hood was recently opened for normal checks of engine. the hood did shut all the way. after driving about 5 miles at the speed of about 45 the hood came unlatched and flew up. the hood is unrepairable, hood and hinges must be replaced.*ak | |||
| 12/21/2003 | 66600 | 1 | 01/20/2000 |
| Was traveling at 70 mph when hood flew open causing consideralble damage to hood and hinge mechanism. no personal injuries.*ak | |||
| 02/08/2003 | 75580 | 1 | |
| The hood latch failed which caused the hood to open, hit the roof and cracked the windshield.*jb related investigation ea-02-029. | |||
| 05/26/2002 | |||
| Hood flew open at 70 mph, consumer was able to pull over safely. please provide additional information. ts | |||
| 07/12/2002 | |||
| While driving at 65mph hood came un latched and driver was unable to see.*ak | |||